I did get results pretty fast. If you've seen some improvement but still have peeling, it might be worth bumping it to 3000mg (and I'm assuming you're taking the high dose "stress" formula B's). If you haven't seen any change at all, it might be time to move on to something else.

You could try a higher dose of lysine (3000mg to 4000mg is not unheard of), but we know that no one thing has helped everyone. Like I said before, Lysine's fairly inexpensive and worth a shot but I don't want to promise it will work if you just take enough of it.

Also I think that you have to lessen your intake of l-arginine containing foods. l-Lysine has something to do with creating a large ratio of lysine to argine to stop viral replication in herpes simplex anyway. So if this is related to herpes in some way and l-lysine is helping it might be good to lessen your intake of l-arginine foods while your at it. Wikipedia says Arginine plays an important role in cell division so the building up of skin on our lips occurs through cell division so lessening intake of this amino acid might help. Wikipedia also says "but dietary arginine may affect the effectiveness of lysine supplementation."
l-argine is found in many things including nuts (coconut, pecans, cashews, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, hazel nuts, peanuts), seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower). So if ur lip balm has these oils in it then maybe this could make the problem worse? However I also found this quote, "In addition, test tube studies suggest that L-lysine in combination with L-arginine (another amino acid) increases the activity of bone-building cells and enhances production of collagen." and this one, "Adults with herpes simplex should follow these guidelines: To treat symptoms: 3,000 – 9,000 mg per day in divided doses". Lysine supplements are considered safe and nontoxic. However, one animal study found that chicks fed with L-lysine developed elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels. For this reason, individuals with cardiovascular disease and those with elevated cholesterol and/or triglyceride levels should consult a healthcare practitioner before taking lysine supplements.

Ok - I'm the one whose dentist suggested the Lysine supplements and had really good results. It's use in treating/preventing cold sores (herpes virus) is pretty well researched and is related to viral replication. For that reason, you do want to avoid arginine supplements and you may get more bang for your buck by taking it on an empty stomach (unless it bothers you). I think my dentist said she's taken as much as 6000mg a day. As long as you don't have other medical problems (esp. kidney - anything that requires you to limit protein), it should be safe.

When you consider that the vast majority of people have been exposed to the herpes virus, it could be an atypical presentation of herpes virus or a slightly different strain of virus. Stress can depress the immune system and trigger an outbreak. This is pure speculation on my part, but I did see improvements very quickly at 1000 - 2000 mg a day. Too quickly to attribute it to something else (even placebo effect, as I didn't really expect it to work). I did have to exfoliate/moisturize regularly for a while there, but at least my lips weren't peeling off while I was talking to people. (Does our waitress have leprosy? ICK!)

The first time I stopped taking it, the condition returned. I had to start again & up the dosage from 1000 to 2000mg a day to get it under control. After a few months at that level, I slowly lowered the dose and quit the lysine without relapsing. It's nice to know that it is helping other people, but still - it probably won't fix everyone. Thus far, it seems a lot more effective than most of the high dollar crap being marketed online.

Caffiene is also high in arginine and low in lysine. I used to drink nothing but coca cola when I was younger for a couple years so maybe that is one of the reasons I got this lip problem. I also drank a lot of coffee in college and for last couple months I only drink water. There are a lot of foods that have a high arginine to lysine ratio so I think everyone should check it out and see if they have had a history of high arginine intake.