Not always.
On two different occasions, I've had ingrown toenails that had to have a procedure done because, once they started ingrowing, they wouldn't stop doing so. (It's still outward growth but still.)
On two different occasions, I've had ingrown toenails that had to have a procedure done because, once they started ingrowing, they wouldn't stop doing so. (It's still outward growth but still.)
I've had a few of these procedures too and it never really stuck for me. Ingrown toenails kept being a problem. Then I started cutting my toenails in the flat / straight '|' sort of way and I've not have a problem since.
I figure it's worth a shout out to the few of you out there that need the help. But, again, it may not work for you too.
I suspect the cause is socks or shoes pushing against the skin at the end of the toe, causing it to grow incorrectly over many months.
An untrimmed nail pushes any sock/shoe away, solving the issue.
The "ingrown" phenomenon occurs well after the nail has formed (it's getting pushed out from the lunula end) and is due to a combination of your toe's (hallux I assume) ideosyncratic geometry and environmental conditions, likely, as another commenter pointed out, how you innocently cut your nail.
Sorry for the pedantry but when I worked in drug development I used to research the nail unit, which, it turns out, few people do.
Just an in-office procedure using some local anesthesia and acid I think. The first time the whole cycle went on for months while I was regularly going to the podiatrist because of a fairly severe foot fracture of the same foot which may or may not have been connected.
This last time--a good 15 years later symmetrically on the other foot--I was pretty much just "Let's do this" after a couple times trying to just cut the toenail.