Drylips, I think you make a lot of solid points. My condition was caused by a toothpaste that I used for a year which triggered the whole thing. My progress sounds almost identical to yours because, when the condition was at full force, my lips were a much darker red and I have noticed as progress continued that they got progressively lighter and feel more normal. It seems now when the bottom lip peels (the top stopped when I removed the toothpaste) that it's more pink and feels more normal as opposed to red and raw. It's good to see that two people who are progressing are seeing very similar results. Let's keep it going and hopefully we can help other people suffering from this.