New treatment improving burned triplets’ scars

Video: Burn treatment boosts triplets' confidence

Open in new window

2. Closed captioning of: Burn treatment boosts triplets' confidence

   Advertise | AdChoices

   >>> to anyone.

   >>> this morning on "today's update," the berns triplets, three young sisters undergoing a treatment to erase a lifetime of scars. we met them back in may and we'll find out how they're doing in just a moment, but first, nbc's chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman has their story.

   >> reporter: for the berns triplets, jordan, trae and chandra , scars on their faces, arms and chests have served as a painful reminder of the tragedy that took place 20 years ago, when a house fire took the life of their mother. the triplets, 17 months old and asleep in their crib, survived with third-degree burns to as much as 30% of their bodies. the sisters underwent years of surgery, physical therapy and skin grafts to heal their wounds, but the scars remained.

   >> we don't really like wearing short sleeves or shirts that like show our burns. we feel more comfortable, like, hiding them, i guess you could say, because that is appalling to us.

   >> reporter: trae, the youngest of the triplets, learned of a florida dermatologist experimenting with laser treatment. in one case, a burn victim 's cars faded with a laser procedure normally used for acne.

   >> for there to be some kind of hope for burn victims , i just felt like i needed to call.

   >> reporter: the sisters reached out to the doctor, who with the laser manufacturer, agreed to perform the procedure on all three of them free of charge.

   >> i'm about to go get the treatment. i'm excited.

   >> reporter: as part of the treatment, the laser fires tiny dots of heat deep into the scar tissue , vaporizing the scar and allowing a healthy layer of skin collagen to eventually we grow the skin on their faces, arms and chest. the procedure would ultimately take eight hours.

   >> go away, scars.

   >> reporter: three months and one follow-up treatment later, the sisters revealed the results on "today."

   >> the scars are a lot smoother and the texture is a lot better. so, i can definitely tell the difference.

   >> so, you like -- you love the changes that you see in the mirror?

   >> yes.

   >> yes.

   >> and chandra ?

   >> definitely the same for me. my skin is a lot smoother and great texture.

   >> reporter: better texture, smoother skin and high hopes for greater improvement.

   >> the triplets have had two more procedures since we last saw them in may. let's take one more look at them before this all started. and here they are, jordan, trae and chandra berns . dr. jill wible performed the treatments. dr. nancy snyderman , our chief medical editor. ladies -- this is the longest couch ever -- welcome to all of you. thumbs up, thumbs down?

   >> definitely thumbs up.

   >> chandra , you had the most severe burns.

   >> yeah.

   >> talk about the results.

   >> over the last few months since we were on the "today" show last, it's pretty much a gradual improvement. you know, our skin has gotten a lot smoother, the texture is a lot smoother, the color --

   >> i can remember from the last time i saw you, there was more elevation --

   >> yeah.

   >> -- it seemed here on this particular arm. and that is much smoother now.

   >> yeah. it's definitely a lot smoother, mm-hmm.

   >> and we talked about three things. we talked about aesthetics last time. we talked about mobility, too, because scar tissue can limit mobility. what's been the results there?

   >> definitely, scar tissue can limit mobility, and i think for a lot of people, the ultrapulse laser will help with their mobility. it did for me right here. it's helped a lot.

   >> that joint in particular was a difficulty for you, your elbow joint on your left arm . what about self-esteem? i mean, we talked before about, you know, the summer months came and a lot of the young ladies that you knew were wearing short sleeve or tank tops and you didn't want to do that. so, talk to me a little bit about that.

   >> well, i think any burn survivor is a little self-conscious about their burns just like we were, and from this laser treatment and sharing our story, we have really gained a lot more confidence than we had before.

   >> so, just by talking about it and coming on a show like this and saying, the heck with it, you know, let's take the secret part of it out of it and talk about it, that helped in addition to the laser ?

   >> definitely, yeah.

   >> dr. weibel, are these results typical, what we're seeing here?

   >> yes, these are typical. we've treated hundreds of burn patients and we're seeing great results. not only burn scars, but acne scars , surgical scars and traumatic scars, and the laser was brought to market for wrinkles, so it does a great job. for burn patients, great improvement and we're still studying it and learning more.

   >> let's talk about the procedure. you're very honest. you say, first of all, it hurts a little. but you're given some topical anesthesia, is that correct?

   >> yes.

   >> and it does hurt during it. immediately following the treatment, what's the skin look like?

   >> right after the treatment, it maybe for a couple hours it's a little sore. it looks like you got a bad sun burn . and then over the next couple days, it will, you know, heal, and then after about a week or two, you'll start peeling and then --

   >> so, the dead skin peels away.

   >> yes.

   >> and that's when the new growth of the healthy collagen can take place?

   >> yeah. it takes months. it can even take up to a year, but we're removing scar and then healthy skin is coming in.

   >> dr. snyderman, what do you think about this? i mean, is this the wave of the future?

   >> i think increasingly, lasers are going to change how we treat all kinds of things. so, while it went from wrinkles and acne and now we're talking about real medicinal reasons for, at least the skin, these lasers are out there, 70,000 worldwide jill told me. so, this is another application. the real cool thing is going to be, how do you stimulate that deep, deep, deep layer of the skin where the stem cells are, where the collagen is, and sort of get the old scar off. and that's where the real science is going to be, whether you interject stem cells or whether you stimulate the patient's own. but i mean, look at the proof. these guys are living proof of the fact that this works.

   >> what about expectations here? i mean, the fact is, you're never going to have skin that bears no scar, correct? so, how many more treatments do you want to go? what level of change are you looking for?

   >> well, i think that's really up to dr. weibel, but we're thinking probably at least probably a couple more treatments. every person is different. every scar is different, so you know, the number of treatments ranges from every person.

   >> and there is a nuance in that, matt. as a physician, you have to say good is not necessarily perfect.

   >> right.

   >> so, this is really good. are you guys comfortable? and then that's that doctor-patient conversation.

   >> and i think with the luminous ultrapulse, typically, it's four to six laser treatments. but i agree, when i'm happy, when they're happy, both, but every time you treat, you get improvement, and with the technology improvements we see, we're doing a lot better.

   >> typically, cost in this case?

   >> $500 to a couple thousand depending on body area, but a fraction of the surgery costs.

   >> and better than surgery.

   >> we agree.

   >> you look great.

   >> thank you.

   >> thank you.

   >> it's nice to have you back.

   >> thank you.

   >> good to have you. doctors, thank you very much.

   >> thank you.

   >> by the way, you can watch the berns sisters' video diaries at todayshow.com.

   Show transcript