Even a wearer who is smaller than the garment or who is wearing a corset cannot exactly reproduce the original wearer's silhouette and will stress some part of the garment. Wearing historic clothes thus produces enormous tensions on fabric and seams. The wearer's body temperature and perspiration serve as an oven that acts as a catalyst in the deterioration process. Sweating also releases components that attack fibers and can discolor fabrics. Dead skin cells, body oils, dirt and sebum, the oil from hair follicles, are also deposited on the surface of the fabric.
Textiles are among the world's most fragile artifacts.
Clothing, assembled from textiles and others materials that can self-destruct, is even more difficult to care for. Additionally, throughout the centuries, numerous fabrics have been treated with chemical solutions meant to enhance their appearances. Silks, for example, were often weighted with metallic salts, mostly consisting of tin or iron. This practice was common as early as the 1850s. It was at it's peak of popularity in the 20th century and was practiced as late as the 1950s.