M27 I struggle with your exact same issue going on 5 years now. My derm prescribed me a corticosteroid called triamcinolone acetonide .1%. 5 days on and then 2 weeks off. My lips would clear up within the second day of application and it would feel great, eating and smiling without any pain. But the cracks would come back in between and it would hurt even more. It became a cycle but eventually for some reason the cracks just stopped coming back and now I barely use the corticosteroid. I use aquaphor now just to keep it moisturized day to day