New treatment improving burned triplets’ scars

After months of innovative laser technique, more confidence and mobility

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>>> 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

By Mike Celizic

TODAY.com contributor

updated 11/6/2009 9:08:14 AM ET

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The three young women glowed like the fashion models they could be, walking advertisements for a new treatment for burn victims that is being hailed as a medical miracle.

Identical triplets Trae, Jordan and Chandra Berns, 22, had first visited TODAY’s New York studios last May to talk about the pioneering laser treatment that had begun to erase scars that they had carried for 20 years. Friday, they came back to show the remarkable healing they’ve experienced since undergoing several more treatments.

“Over the past few months, it’s pretty much a gradual improvement,” Chandra told TODAY’s Matt Lauer. “Our skin has gotten smoother. Our scars have gotten a lot smoother.”

Jordan, who had lived with limited mobility in her left arm because of scar tissue around her elbow, said, “It’s helped a lot.”

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As the scars that covered up to 30 percent of their bodies have been lasered away, Trae said the sisters no longer self-consciously cover their damaged skin.

“We gained a lot more self-confidence than we had before,” Trae said.

Scarred by tragedy
The Berns triplets were just 17 months old when they were trapped in a fire in their Texas home that killed their mother. The little girls spent a long time in the hospital before being released to an extensive series of painful surgeries and skin grafts.

Despite their burns and the compressing bandages they had to wear, their childhood was remarkably normal.

Image: Jordan Berns left arm in March (top) and September (bottom) of 2009.

TODAY

From top, Jordan Berns’ left arm in March 2009 and then in September after undergoing innovative new laser treatments for scarring. The triplets not only feel more confident showing their skin; they have also regained some flexibility from their childhood burns.

“When we were growing up, we didn’t notice that we had burns. We were regular children. We went out. The people that we grew up with, all the children, they pretty much knew what happened, and everybody pretty much accepted it,” Chandra told Lauer in May.

It was only when they got to high school and met new people that they were made acutely aware of their disfigurement by other children who pointed at them and called them vicious names.By the time they all went off to college, they thought they would have to live with their scars forever.

A new approach
Then the sisters heard about a pioneering laser treatment being used by Dr. Jill Waibel, a cosmetic surgeon in Palm Beach, Fla. The three drove from their Texas home to Florida to see if Waibel could help them. When Waibel met the three young women, she and Lumenis, the manufacturer of the laser, agreed to treat them free of charge.

Video: New scar treatment gives triplets hope After undergoing two rounds of treatments, the sisters showed off the results on TODAY. After two more rounds, they came back Friday with Waibel and NBC’s chief medical editor, Dr. Nancy Snyderman, to show off faces that now show virtually no visible signs of scarring.

Waibel said she’s treated hundreds of burn victims in addition to the Berns sisters. “These are typical results,” she said. “For burn patients, there’s great improvement, and we’re still studying it and learning more.”

Video: Web only: Checking in with Trae “This is going to change the way we treat all kinds of things,” Snyderman predicted, from acne scars to wrinkles to ordinary scars and burns. “These guys are proof of the fact that this works.”

The triplets said that the treatment stings, but not badly. After two weeks, the skin peels like a sunburn. Over the course of months, new tissue grows, smoothing contours and evening colors.

The Bernses said they’ve had four treatments and will be having two more. Their skin will never be perfect, but it is dramatically improved.

Cheaper than surgery
The big benefit of the treatment, Waibel said, is that it costs from $500 to a couple of thousand for a single treatment. “A fraction of what surgery costs,” she said, “and better results.”

Video: Web only: Dr. Waibel explains the procedure The treatment, called an ultrapulse fractional ablative laser, consists of two separate lasers. The first shoots tiny beams that penetrate less than a millimeter into the scar tissue, heating it to the boiling point, vaporizing it, and allowing healthy tissue and collagen to fill in the microscopic gaps created by the laser. The second laser flattens and evens out the texture and coloring of the remaining scar tissue.

The lasers were developed to treat serious acne scars, but Waibel has pioneered using them to treat burn victims. She said that doctors are not sure exactly how the lasers work to destroy scar tissue, but there is no arguing with the results.

Until the laser treatment came into use, burn victims had to live with often-serious scarring. In addition to disfiguring the victims, scar tissue could also seriously restrict movement. The laser not only erases much of the scarring, it also returns the elasticity to damaged skin.

Hope for others
Since appearing on TODAY, Waibel has been invited to travel the nation and the world to educate other doctors in use of the laser.

Slideshow: Sisters through tragedy and triumph The TODAY appearance also allowed the Berns sisters to start a foundation, Three for Hope, to help other burn victims get the treatments. Helped by donations sent by TODAY viewers, the foundation has already assisted its first patient, the sisters said.

The foundation is headquartered in San Antonio. Its mission statement reads: “To empower and inspire other burn survivors to get past the tragedy in their lives and become the best people they can be. We will be providing reinforcement, hope, education, rehabilitation, treatment, and financial resources and support to survivors and their families.”

For more information about the Three for Hope Foundation, click here.

To learn more about Dr. Jill Waibel and her laser treatments, visit her Web site by clicking here. And for more information about the Lumenis laser, click here.