ingrown toenail question

I had surgery when I was 19 for ingrown toenails on both sides of my left big toe. I'm 55 now. The past two years I've had problems with the lower right side of that toenail flaring up and becoming red, swollen and tender. I hate to admit, I've dug around to release some of the pressure. Of course then it got infected and there was pus and drainage. I could feel something hard when I dug though. I was able to remove what looked like a hard horn-shaped white piece. This has happened several times. Is is possible for an ingrown nail that was removed to return? I know I should see a podiatrist because this has been ongoing. I am just curious why this would show up so many years after my initial surgery. Can a trauma to the toe have caused a flare up or re-growth?
Thanks for answering my question.