Johnn, I have 2 questions:
1. What happens when you leave your lips alone (dry) for a few days? Do they form a crust?
2. When you applied aquaphor, did you notice any skin forming the next day? (White or grayish color)? It could be that you unknowingly brushed off the good skin during your aquaphor application. It's still very fragile for the first few days, so that could be it.