If the flaws aren't located on the front surface of the lens (touch the spot with a toothpick or something non-abrasive and look at the lens surface from an angle- do the flaws seem deeper in the lens than the tip of the toothpick?) then they are most likely caused by one of two things:
Lens delamination, where adhesive holding lens elements together is failing. This usually occurs around the edges of a lens element and progresses inwards, so this is probably not very likely.
Fungus growing in the interior of the lens. This is probably the most likely cause. Fungus can grow in any lens but is most likely in lenses kept or stored in humid conditions. Fungus will affect internal coatings and can permanently affect the optical surfaces of the lenses it grows on.
In each of these cases disassembly and repair (or ignoring the flaws) are the only options.
See this for more information:
Why does fungus form in lenses, and how to get rid of it?
If the flaws -are- on the front surface then it's a coating problem. You could have the front element replaced- I don't know if a lens can be recoated or not- or, again, you could ignore it. The only time you're likely to have an issue is in challenging lighting situations where you have light sources or specular reflections in or just out of the frame- you might see more (or unusual) flare. Use a lens shade.