CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The women who sit down in Gabrielle Graber's chair are fearless.
Not because they aren't afraid of needle or a little bit of ink, but because of what they have already overcome to get here.
"So, I started with the cosmetic side so eyebrows, eyeliner, lips, freckles and then... [it] morphed into and started getting more into the paramedical side of things," said the owner of Inked By Elle.
Just seeing how that impacts people kind of made a big impact on me."
Graber proudly offers areola restoration along with her other permanent makeup services.
"I didn't have any formal training in that. I just kind of picked up my machine. I'm like, let me see what I can do."
The restoration is 3D tattoo art for women who have undergone a mastectomy during their breast cancer journey.
Hundreds of women across the Coastal Bend and Texas are glad she did.
Graber offers the service completely free.
"I mean, I had someone bring to me their, like print out of what it would have cost, and it was like $10,000. "
Graber says, areola restoration serves as a symbol that the women she services are at the end of their journey with breast cancer.
"You know, they've been through so much and I feel like when you've gone through all of that, you come out a different person."
And so really the areola tattooing is also representative of them being this new person, you know, and so it's kind of just like they're embracing their womanhood when they receive it. So it's, it's awesome."