Sammy Sosa Admits To Using Face Cream

Posted by: Annika Harris Filed in: celebs
4:20PM, Thursday November 12th 2009

Sammy Sosa denied rumors that his lightened skin was the result of vitiligo during his Spanish interview on Univision’s “Primer Impacto” with Tony Dandrades Tuesday. When asked what was going on with his skin, the slugger responded: “I use a cream to keep my skin smooth and soft. I apply it before I go to bed. When I was playing for Chicago all those years, I was in the sun a lot for 1 o’clock games.” He wouldn’t say what type of face cream he uses or the name of it because he said he’s in negotiations to market the European product, but he did say he can’t stay in the sun too long when he uses it. I suspect he’s using the kind of skin-bleaching creams that are sold on the black market in many minority communities.

I’ve seen countless people walking around in my own Caribbean and African neighborhood with the same pinkish-gray cast to their skin. Their faces and hands will be several shades lighter than other parts of their bodies—a tell-tale sign that they’re bleachers. The ingredients in these creams are so damaging that sometimes users develop rough black and blue patches of skin. And the skin can literally flake off or become so thin it splits open. And yes, any amount of sun is extremely dangerous. Yet these people risk all of this because they have such a warped sense of beauty—they feel that dark skin is unattractive. I have never seen anyone, Sosa included, who didn’t look sickly from bleaching their skin.

As for the colored contact lenses Sosa’s been sporting? He says he wanted to “try something different. I’m not trying to be superficial.” Yeah, right. [NY Daily News]

comments

SueSue
wrote on November 12 2009 @ 04:26 pm: [report]

WOW - if that’s not a case of an identity crisis…

mayorbubbles
wrote on November 12 2009 @ 05:05 pm: [report]

that’s sad.

Suffragette
wrote on November 12 2009 @ 05:10 pm: [report]

I’m so sad people feel like they need to bleach their skin. I’ve always been told I have “skin like porcelain,” and I embrace my paleness and hide from the sun, but I’ve always been so jealous of women of color! I love the coppers and caramels and deep chocolates I see when I’m walking down the street. If I could tan to get a little more color I would, but the only color I get when I go out in the sun is lobster red! I hope that people can embrace their appearances, because honestly, we’re all beautiful just the way we are!

Lilypie
wrote on November 12 2009 @ 05:44 pm: [report]

He was a handsome man before this. Annika’s right - he looks ill.