I have several tats and the ones I got in 1990 are still as clear as the day I got them. I have ravens, a raven feather, a red stag, a leaping mountain ram, a rose, and a couple others harder to explain but have meaning to me. My archery tat is actually a hunting charm. It's four crossed arrows behind three phases of the moon and the North Star. Below that is a raincloud. Above it is an arrowhead. I drew that one myself and had the artist ink it on. That's the one that gets the most interest from people. That one and the red stag impressed the heck out of my wife on our first date.
Definitely be sure your tats have meanings that are deep. Your medicines, your totems, your ancestral affiliations, and so on. Girlfriend's name no, wife's name yes.