my hair's thinning, but it's not mpb? (pictures inside)

[Dagger]

My hair's been like this 2 years, and it was diagnosed as alopecia areata because I have similar weak patches of hair in areas that aren't typical of mpb. I went to another hair specialist and he didn't see anything suggesting mpb. The pattern hasn't changed or spread since I first noticed it, but it still looks suspect to me and I haven't seen a picture of alopecia areata that looks like what I have - most of the them have straight-up bald patches. Do you think I should get another opinion on this?

 

 

Edited March 20, 2015 by Dagger

[Dagger]

Notice the little flecks of hair at the front of my hairline - that's what throws me off about that diagnosis. Although I notice my hair looks kind of similar on the sides too which is what the hair specialist pointed out. When my hair's thicker, it looks normal but I usually have to get some of the little flecks of hair at the edge of my hairline cleaned out. They grow back the same every single time they're cut.

Edited March 20, 2015 by Dagger

[Dagger]

I'm 20 and don't have a family history of mpb.

[1978matt]

All I'm seeing is a guy of Afro/Caribbean descent who has shaved their hair short.

 

The fact that you are Afro/Caribbean just means you're likely to have lower density hair than Caucasians. I guess this may be confusing you into thinking you're losing your hair.

 

JAMA Network | JAMA Dermatology | Hair Density in African Americans