Thanks so much for your input hopefulzara. I just came home from a (almost) 2 hour walk. I had no peeling and no inflammation. Started the day off with a fruit smoothie and then juiced some carrot/celery/apple/spinach + plant protein powder for lunch. After 2pm just drank water, and drank nothing except the olive oil/grape fruit mixture after 7pm. I brought the time forward to 9pm instead of 10pm because it's difficult enough walking where I live at 12 in the afternoon, let alone 12 midnight...

Around one hour in I felt queasy; felt like throwing up (but only a mild feeling). I felt a few stomach cramps, actually they felt like pangs. Now I've say down I feel even more queasy. I keep burping an olive oil taste... off to shower and bed shortly.

On the mention of candida/gut imbalance.. you could be right. I recently finished a 60 day probiotic and I can't say for certain whether it slightly reduced the peeling, but they are still peeling so it hasn't cured them. Maybe I should start another round of them, perhaps two at once.

Coincidentally, now you mention glutamine, I have some l-glutamine 500mg on my computer table from ages ago. I can't rememeber why I bought them in the first place.. Perhaps it may be worth starting on them.. how many do you reckon I should take each day ?

In terms of lip management I've tried a few different approaches in the last 12 months. I pretty much figured out that the moisture method is not going to cure them because as we've figured out they are only indicators of an underlying issue. I tried leaving them alone for weeks at a time. Now, i'll use aquaphor if I've a long day ahead away from home.. otherwise I'll use coconut oil. I don't think leaving them alone helps at all because as we've figured out once the skin turns white with water it is already dead. I used to think leaving it on was helping them heal but I don't think so now. I'm mindful not to bite hard at skin if it is still attached.. usually rubbing it off with a finger and some hot water is enough to get rid of it without damaging the skin underneath.