Sammy Sosa caused quite a stir when he showed up at the Latin Grammy Awards looking like a changed man with his skin color appearing almost white.
After recieving a lot of backlash for his shocking appearance, former Cubs employee Rebecca Polihronis quickly came to Sosa's defense saying, "He's not trying to be Michael Jackson."
He is going through a rejuvenation process for his skin," Polihronis said. "Women have it all of the time. He was surprised he came out looking so white. I thought it was a body double. Part of (the photo appearance) is just the lighting.
"He is in the middle of doing a cleansing process to his skin. The picture is deceiving. He said, 'If you saw me in person, you would be surprised. When you see me in person, it is not going to seem like the picture.'
"People who saw him in person did not react the same way. He can't believe it is such a big deal.
Realizing that the controversy wouldn't go away, Sosa issued his own statement insisting that he is not a racist, and that he's been using a cream he purchased from Europe which he plans to market soon to the general public.
What happened was that I had been using the cream for a long time and that, combined with the bright TV lights, made my face look whiter than it really is. I don’t think I look like Michael Jackson.
This has caused such a controversy that even I am surprised.
A Chicago dermatologist says he shouldn't be.
I see a man who has changed at least six shades of color in his skin, said Dr. Omeed Memar.
Dr. Memar believes Sosa used a more powerful form of the chemical hydroquinone, which ultimately removes all skin pigmentation, including on his lips.
Looking at a recent photo of Sosa with lighter skin, Dr. Memar said, "Here you're seeing almost like lipstick color, so this is most likely a lip tattoo, a permanent tattoo."
Hydroquinone is usually used to treat vitiligo, the disease which Michael Jackson said produced blotchy white patches, and led him to bleach his skin to even out his skin tone.
Sosa denies having vitiligo, but Dr. Memar isn't so sure.
I would consider that not treatment going from black to lighter color, or de-pigmented white. That's almost mutilation, said Dr. Memar.
Unless Sosa suffered some kind of skin disfiguration, Dr. Memar says hydroquinone is both unprofessional and dangerous.
He's subjecting himself to a potential carcinogen, said Dr. Memar. He's setting himself up for skin cancer for the rest of his life, because of the loss of pigmentation.
Dr. Memar says Sosa probably used the cream for at least three months, and possibly several more, to achieve the degree of skin lightening we've seen.
But Dr. Memar also points out, his conclusions are only an educated guess and Sosa's medical history is no one's business but his own.
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- Cosmetic skin whitening ads labeled racist
Comments
I'm telling ya, black folks or peeps with dark skin, if they can get the cash register to ring for themselves, they will spend and try to become white. I'm telling ya, white skin peeps are the envy of this world. They're enough of us around trying to be white also. In speech, looks, etc.
I think he still looks good, and if he is happy then what should anyone else say about it. He is still a fine looking young black man, and maybe what is said in this article is true, the harsh lighting took another couple of shades off of him. People are comparing him to Michael Jackson.... not until Sammy has disfigured his entire face, then I'll agree. For now, if he's happy, who am I to say anything about it.
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