Skin conditions
Verrucae (warts, excluding face and genitals)
Warts are slow, stubborn, and easy to treat incorrectly for months. Under Ontario's minor ailment program, a pharmacist at Murray Shore Pharmacy in North York can assess warts on the hands, feet, and body, confirm what you are dealing with, and set realistic expectations for a treatment course that actually gets finished. Warts on the face or genitals are outside the program and always referred.
Common signs
- A rough, raised, flesh-coloured growth, often on fingers, hands, or knees
- A flat, hardened lesion on the sole that hurts like a stone in your shoe
- Tiny black dots within the lesion, which are clotted capillaries
- Skin lines flowing around the growth rather than through it
- A cluster of small warts spreading near an original one
See a doctor instead if
- Any lesion on the face or in the genital area, which pharmacists do not treat under this program
- Diabetes or poor circulation with a foot lesion
- A growth that bleeds easily, changes colour, or looks irregular, which needs a physician to rule out something more serious
- Numerous warts appearing rapidly in someone with a weakened immune system
- A painful lesion you cannot confidently distinguish from a corn
Any of these sound like you? Call 416-789-1800 and we will point you the right way — or reach Health811 (opens in a new tab) by calling 811.
How the assessment works
The pharmacist examines the lesion to confirm it is a wart rather than a corn, callus, or something needing medical attention, and reviews your health history for factors like diabetes that rule out self-treatment. A keratolytic treatment may be prescribed where appropriate, with honest guidance on the weeks-long routine of filing and application that wart treatment demands. The assessment is covered by OHIP.
Source 1Three ways to get started. Do it all from home, or come in.
Start online from your phone, call us, or walk in and ask for the pharmacist. No appointment is needed. When you start online, a pharmacist calls or messages you back to finish the assessment. Prefer email? Write to us.
Frequently asked questions
Plain answers from the pharmacy team. Tap a question to open it.
How long does wart treatment actually take?
Plan in weeks to a few months, not days. Consistency matters more than intensity: daily application and regular filing, maintained without gaps. The pharmacist maps out the routine so you know exactly what finished looks like.
I have been treating a wart for months with no progress. Now what?
Bring it in. Either the technique needs adjusting, the lesion is not a wart at all, or it is time to refer you to a physician for other removal options. An assessment settles which of the three it is.
Are warts contagious? My kids share a bathroom.
Mildly, yes. The virus spreads via damp surfaces and broken skin, so cover the wart, keep shower floors clean, avoid sharing towels or nail files, and discourage picking, which spreads warts on the same person too.
Why won't you treat a wart on my face?
Facial and genital warts are explicitly excluded from Ontario's pharmacist minor ailment program because the skin is delicate and the differential diagnosis is broader. Those need a physician, and we will say so plainly and point you in the right direction.
Is a plantar wart different from a regular wart?
Same virus family, different real estate. Pressure from walking drives plantar warts inward and flattens them, making them hurt more and take longer to clear. They are assessed the same way, with extra attention to your feet and footwear.
What should I bring to the assessment?
Your health card and any wart products you have already used, with a rough sense of how long and how consistently. For a foot lesion, bring or wear the shoes you use most, since pressure patterns matter.
Do I need an appointment?
No, walk in to 3537 Bathurst Street any time the pharmacy is open, or call 416-789-1800 to arrange a time that suits you.
Is the assessment covered by OHIP?
Yes, the assessment is free with a valid Ontario health card. You pay only for treatment products you choose to purchase.
Can children be assessed for warts?
Yes, warts are extremely common in school-age children, and kids are assessed with a parent present. The plan is adjusted for a child's skin and for how realistic a daily treatment routine is at their age.
How do I avoid spreading warts at the pool or gym?
Wear sandals on wet floors, cover the wart with a waterproof plaster while it is being treated, and keep your towel, socks, and nail tools to yourself. The virus favours damp surfaces and broken skin, so dry your feet thoroughly.
Could it be a corn rather than a wart?
It is a common mix-up, and the clues differ: corns keep the skin lines running through them while warts interrupt them. If it turns out to be a corn or callus, that is also assessable at the pharmacy; see our calluses and corns page.
Sources & further reading
Numbered references, linked from the sections above.
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416-789-1800 Call nowPrefer not to call? Email info@murrayshore.com or visit us at Bathurst & Baycrest.