Cirdan's appearance

[elbenprincess]

Hi all, I have a really dumb question, but I always wonder why Cirdan is described as looking old. I always thought that elves remain young. And then I read something about a thrid life circle, that elves reach with probably 10.000??? years, explaining the growth of beard. Does that mean that elves in the third circle grew old?

Galadriel is nealy 10.000 Years too, does that mean she gets old? (poor gril) And therfore the elves in valinor should be looking very old too (Finarfin, Ingwe...) Or does Valinor stops or delay this process?

Or is Cirdan just an exception? (Maybe his sorrows, never seen Valinor...) Did Tolkien said something about the aging thing?

Should we assume that elves at one point appear as aged? Even the elves in valinor?

About the fourth circle:
Eventually, their immortal spirits (fëar) will overwhelm and consume their bodies (hröar), rendering them "bodiless", whether they opt to go to Valinor or remain in Middle-earth. At the end of the world, all Elves will have become invisible to mortal eyes, except to those to whom they wish to manifest themselves. Tolkien called this process "Lingering", and it may be thought of as a fourth and final cycle of Elven life.



What does that "eventually" mean? 20.000 Years, 30.000 Years...anyway, you could really feel sorry for the elves, I would not like to remain bodiless for dacades...

Before the lingering process, are they grey and old? Whats your opinion?