When Joyce Kierstead first began to notice the road map of tiny red lines appearing on her chin in her late 20s, she didn't realize it would lead her down the wrong path.

"It sent me right to the nearest cosmetic counter, where I ended up getting all the wrong information," Kierstead said. She was often told her problem was that she was not cleaning her skin properly, or that she needed a better foundation.

It was the network of visible blood vessels on her face that bothered Rita Edwards the most. As a frequent blusher, she was accustomed to having "high color" on her face, but this was more than she could bear.

"They made my face look purple-red," she said. "I also had dry, bumpy skin, almost like acne."

Even though she doesn't like to wear makeup, Rita tried foundations and creams to cover her blemishes, redness and blood vessels. "But they just couldn't be covered," Rita said.

"People would ask me what was wrong when my face got red," she said.

Q. I've been using medication for some time now and it has cleared my pimples and reduced my redness, but it also seems to have made me develop more spider veins. What's going on?

The National Rosacea Society announced that the first research proposals have been selected for funding by its medical advisory board as part of the Society's new research grants program to encourage and support the advancement of scientific knowledge of rosacea and how to control it.

A recent controlled study of laser therapy for rosacea found that the procedure substantially reduced visible blood vessels (telangiectasia) and also helped reduce redness (erythema) and flushing after an average of three treatments, according to results presented by Dr. S. M. Clark and colleagues of the Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Wales, at the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

In rosacea, are visible dilated blood vessels -- called telangiectasia -- the result of damaged connective tissue, or is it the damaged blood vessels themselves that have a degrading effect on the connective tissue? Experts have discussed both possibilities.

Q. Will laser surgery get rid of telangiectasias (spider veins or tiny visible blood vessels)?

A. Laser surgery using a pulse dye or other laser can be an effective way to treat telangiectasias on the legs. For many sufferers, laser treatment can provide long-term relief from these unwanted spider veins.