HispanicBusiness

Retired Chicago Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa broke his silence this week on the widespread speculation over photos depicting what appears to be his lighter-complected face, assuring Univision he does not have a skin disease, but admitting that he does use a bleaching cream to "soften his skin."

The media firestorm was sparked by his appearance two weeks ago at a gala honoring singer/songwriter Juan Gabriel as the Latin Grammy Awards' 2009 Person of the Year.

In a photo Sosa took with his wife, Sonia, the color of Sosa's normally dark skin had an unusual pallor, prompting many to speculate that he is whitening his skin, a la the late Michael Jackson.

In an intertview Tuesday on the Univision program "Primer Impacto," Sosa, 41, told reporter Tony Dandrades that he does not suffer from vitiligo, which plagued Jackson.

"I'm doing well, doing well, thanks to God," he said in the Spanish interview.

Sosa went on to say that he does use a product on his skin, though he declined to name it.

"It's a bleaching cream that I apply before going to bed and whitens my skin some," he said. "When I was playing for Chicago all those years, I was in the sun a lot for 1 o'clock games."

He added that the flashes from the cameras in the photo shoot also made his skin look lighter.

"I'm surprised with the controversy this has caused."