An individual with psoriasis poses no threat to the health or safety of others. There is no medical reason that a person with psoriasis should be denied the use of swimming pools, health clubs, or dressing rooms. Since 1992 the American with Disabilities Act has prohibited discrimination in public accommodations such as restaurants, hotels, theaters, doctors' offices, pharmacies, retail stores, museums, libraries, parks, private schools, and day care centers. Psoriasis is a non contagious skin disorder that most commonly appears as inflamed swollen skin lesions covered with silvery white scale. This most common type of psoriasis is called plaque psoriasis .
Psoriasis comes in many different variations and degrees of severity.
No one knows what causes psoriasis, though it is generally accepted that it has a genetic component, and a recent study has established that it is an auto immune skin disorder. Scientists believe that a person is born genetically predisposed to psoriasis. One in three people report a family history of psoriasis, but there is no pattern of inheritance. There are many cases in which children with no apparent family history of the disease will develop psoriasis. Whether a person actually develops psoriasis may depend on something 'triggering' its appearance.