Natural or Relaxed Hair

long post alert.. sorry :-(

i am looking for some advice from some hair professionals without any bias or judgement. because i do not know many people in this group, i think this is the perfect place.

i have been natural for 3 years now. my family convince me to go natural after suffering from thinning edges for as long as i can remember (thinning edges seem to run in my family also). i thought stopping relaxers and doing protective styles only (nothing but crochet) would help my edges grow but after seeing a dermatologist, i found out that i have alopecia and the follicles are just dead and it is a very unlikely chance of them growing back without shots or surgeries that probably won't even work.

my question is i would like to go back to relaxers because i could wear more styles and my hair was easier to deal with. since im natural my edges are exposed and it out like i used to with a perm. if i decide to transition back to getting relaxers, how much hair would i lose in the process? being that i suffer from alopecia is it a good idea to even tradition back to natural? sorry again for the long post, i am just looking for some advice from professionals and not someone who is just trying to get my money.