Sammy Sosa, the former Chicago Cubs slugger, made his first public remarks since the lightening of his skin color came into question last week. The Dominican-born Sosa, who appeared at the Latin Grammys on November 4th with an almost white complexion, admits that he is in fact using a bleaching cream that also softens his skin, and that is why his pigmentation is indeed changing.
Many speculated that Sosa, who naturally has a dark complexion, suffered from vitiligo, the same condition as Michael Jackson. Sosa denies this.
Sosa admits he is “a little surprised by the tsunami of attention” his skin coloring is receiving, during a Spanish language interview, which will air on the Univision network this Tuesday, the first in a two-part interview on news show ‘Primer Impacto’, hosted by Tony Dandrades.
“What’s going on with your skin?” asked Dandrades.
“I use a cream to keep my skin smooth and soft. I apply it before I go to bed,” said Sosa. “The flashes (from the cameras) also made my skin look lighter.”
Sosa will not reveal the name of the cream he uses, did say that he purchased it in Europe and that he is negotiating to market the product stateside.
Sosa added that he regularly wears colored contact lenses because he enjoys “trying something different.”