Sammy Sosa Addresses Buzz Surrounding Lighter Skin

Photographs of Sosa during a recent appearance at the Latin Grammys in Las Vegas showed his facial skin tone to be almost white. 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. Advertisement

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 damaged his skin. He last played in the majors in 2007 with Texas.

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.