Burned in Fire as Infants, Triplets Try to Erase Scars of Their Painful Past

Identical triplets Chandra, Jordan, and Trae Berns, now 22, told ABC News that being together is what got them through the emotional pain of the fire.

(Courtesy of the Bern Triplets and Family)

Their Scars Healing, Triplets Look to the Future

Unable to contain her excitement, Trae called Waibel's office and left her a voice mail detailing the triplets' story. The girls waited anxiously for a response and soon received the call they had waited for -- Waibel wanted to set up a consultation.

A few weeks later, the girls and their grandmother made the two-day journey to Waibel's office. "We had such high hopes and we were so excited, we could barely contain ourselves," Jordan said.

The triplets arrived at Waibel's office with excitement and anxiety for the treatment, hoping it would make a difference. After the meeting, the triplets were greeted with an even bigger surprise: Lumenis -- the laser company, was going to pay for each girls' procedure.

With nerves running high, Waibel was determined to help the girls heal their 20-year-old burns, something that is even harder than it sounds. Thick, deep, and inflexible, burn scars are the most difficult skin wound to treat. According to Waibel, over the past 50 years, scientists have researched new technologies to treat burn scars, but nothing has worked to reduce the appearance of these scars.

Waibel's secret weapon in the battle against the scars was Lumenis's Ultrapulse Total FX laser. Often used to treat other skin problems, such as acne scars, Waibel discovered that it could also be used to treat burn scars. The Ultrapulse laser uses two different light settings to stimulate new collagen growth, lighten dark colors on the scar and even removes some of the scar tissue.

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"We are literally taking that scar out, and then we are stimulating new collagen to form where that scar was. We are improving the scar, and we are creating new healthy skin where there was a scar," explained Waibel. "We are able to treat scars that we were never able to treat before."

The treatment is remarkable not just because of its efficacy, but also because it is relatively painless and quick. Treatments can take as little as a few minutes, depending on the size of the scar, and the side effects are comparable to a sunburn -- patients might be red and swollen for the first 24 hours. Even the results are fast -- although it can take up to a year to see full results. It's also cheaper than many other options for treating scars.

"We will never have completely normal-looking skin where you have a scar. But our hope -- and our goal -- is that it will be as minimal as possible. And if you were to walk in a room with them -- or to meet them -- you would not be aware that they went through a traumatic burn injury," said Waibel.

The triplets say that no matter what comes of the procedure, they love their lives, even their harrowing past.

"It's shaped who we are today and it's definitely made us stronger girls. And we're kind of appreciative for what's happened in our past. Of course, there are times where it has been painful but we've gotten through it and risen above adversity and it's made us a lot stronger," said Trae.

For more information on scar treatment, click here.

Watch "20/20" Friday at 10 p.m. ET to see the results of the laser treatment on the girls' 20-year-old burns.