IME, they never go away. I had surgery on the outer corners of my big toes. It was gross. The recovery process was the grossest. You have to dig into the groove with a stick to help it heal. A disconnected piece of nail came out once, sooooo gross. Mine came from wearing pointy toed shoes which were stylish but did not fit my feet. I didnt really understand. It was a problem from childhood IIRC. Plus you never want to ignore a foot problem, esp an infection.