Researchers say that they are working to figure out how sunlight, and specifically ultraviolet b rays, help to reduce the skin problems associated with the inflammation caused by psoriasis.

While doctors prescribe sunlight and specialized UVB rays in chambers that resemble tanning beds as an alternative treatment if prescription products such as ointments or creams fail, Michelle Lowes at Rockefeller University is hopeful that a new clinical trial will shed light on the treatment.

"Does it target the pathways that we think are important in the disease," she asked in a statement prior to the beginning of the study, adding that the research will examine the effects on immune system proteins that may cause inflammation in order to find new ways to treat the disease.

For those looking for an alternative, an indigo extract may provide some symptom alleviation according to Taiwanese researchers.

In a study from Chang Gung University and Memorial Hospital, participants reported an 81 percent improvement in the scaly lesions after the 12-week period, and roughly three-quarters saw the plaques completely heal, researchers said.