I have red marks on my face that won't go away

[Sharonzed]

I have several red patches on my face, about the size of the tip of a pencil. One on my chin has been there for almost 2 years, another on my cheek around 18 months. The rest it's hard to say, they just seem to appear over night. I did have one on my forehead under my fringe which did disappear on its own. Most of them are flat, with the exception of 2 on my cheek that appeared at the same time. They are slightly raised (and probably the driest of all of them). Some days they are a little paler but most of the time they are very red and noticeable. Several are on my chin/jaw line and I have 3 on 1 cheek (none on the other cheek). They don't hurt or itch, they have never had a head, they don't bleed or scab, but every 4 days or so a thin layer of dry skin develops on them and is easily brushed off. I went to the doctor last year when I only had 3, she said they don't 'look sinister'. She prescribed me a medication for acne (something beginning with z) that she told me to put on my skin, but I only used it a few times as they definitely weren't spots and it seems quite potent stuff (I couldn't find any evidence online that they would aid the disappearance of the red marks). Does anybody have any ideas what this could be? I'm getting very self conscious about them, I very rarely wear foundation/concealer, and these marks are quite difficult to disguise as they dry up when I put make up on them. Foundation/concealer just doesn't seem like 'me'! I have had a fair amount of sun burn over the years (i have red hair and pale freckly skin), but the very worst of this has been on my shoulders/ legs. At the moment the only place I have these marks is on my face.

[purple1234567]

Are the patches more like bumps or like a rash?  I agree that it doesn't sound like they are anything that's overly serious, but I can see how this would be annoying and it would be nice to know what they are!  Have you thought about going to another doctor for a second opinion?