Sammy Sosa bleached skin photos: What in the name of Michael Jackson is up with Sammy Sosa?
The baseball slugger created a splash this week when he stepped out in Las Vegas with a pale face reminiscent of the King of Pop. It remains to be seen whether this was Sosa's personal tribute to the late music icon (who happened to love Sin City) or if he is perhaps suffering from a medical condition.
One such possibility is Vitiligo, a condition in which white patches develop on the skin. Vitiligo is caused by a loss of pigment in the skin, due to destruction of pigment-forming cells known as melanocytes. The exact cause of the destruction of the pigment-forming cells (melanocytes) in the skin is not known. One possible explanation might be that the body's immune system destroys the cells, as in other autoimmune conditions. Although vitiligo affects all races equally, it is more noticeable in dark-skinned people, according to Web MD.
The transformation has taken place in quick fashion as Sosa's face color was much darker as recently as May.
Sosa and his wife, Sonia, were in town for an event honoring Juan Gabriel as the 2009 Person of the Year, as well as Thursday's Latin Grammy Awards.
Sosa, who has 609 home runs in a career now marred by his link to Major League Baseball's steroids scandal, hasn't appeared in a big league game since 2007.
Click here for a slideshow of Sammy Sosa's face over time.
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