Nov 10, 2009 6:04 pm US/Central
Sammy Sosa Addresses Buzz Surrounding Lighter Skin
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Former baseball player Sammy Sosa is seen on Nov. 4, 2009 in Los Angeles; and gain on May 13, 2009, in New York City.
Kevork Djansezian/Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images
It was the picture that had everyone talking.
Former Chicago Cubs star Sammy Sosa appeared noticeably lighter in a recent picture of him in November 2009, compared to a picture a few months before at an event in May 2009. The drastically changed Sammy Sosa has an explanation.
CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports that Sammy Sosa once lightened his bat. Now, many were wondering if he's lightening his skin, following in the footsteps of another black superstar, Michael Jackson, whose skin color grew dramatically lighter over the years.
Jackson blamed his color transformation on a skin disease called vitiligo.
On Tuesday, for the first time, Sosa explained the change in his skin color.
In the first segment of a two-part interview on the Spanish Univision network, the former Cubs star said that playing all those day games under the sun at Wrigley Field damaged his skin.
Sosa admits to using an unnamed European skin cream to repair the damage.
"I have this cream that I put on at night before I go to bed," Sosa said. "And it lightens the skin on my face a bit. But this has caused such a controversy, that even I am surprised."
Sosa claims the lightening of his skin is a side effect, not the main aim of the treatment. But others aren't convinced.
Several dermatologists who have seen the Sosa pictures believe he's definitely undergoing some kind of bleaching treatment, perhaps using lasers or chemicals.
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