I've been doing constant moisture with Aquaphor since December 15th, 2015, so it will be 3 months here soon. I posted a 1 month update some time back and I think that accurately describes my condition both then and now and how much it has improved. But to sum it up: my lips have quick peeling cycles now, my lips don't produce excess amounts of buildup, and my lips never flake or dry up. So overall, everything with this condition is better for me since I started using Aquaphor.
As for taking scabs off, I either wet them with enough water or I moisturize them with Aquaphor and wait until they are very soft and fragile and I kind of do this weird thing of licking upwards to remove the scab from the source and do it as gentle as possible. But I think as long as you don't cause any further damage, you can remove them how you like.