why don't you just nibble the crud off as soon as you can its a lot better than leaving crud on your lips for along time. you should also try licking them and nibbling the crud off. also you should drink lots of water and soak the water on your lips by compressing the water on your lips. leaving them alone does not work. just hydrate them with water and nibble the crud off, I still don't know if you should lick them, but I licked mine for years and you can manage a normal life by licking them and nibbling. but currently im not licking and just using water to hydrate them, seems to be working too.