Beyond Disappointed; 6 Months Post Laser/Smart Lipo

Really disappointed with the results of this procedure. Saved up for quite a while to get it done and was had high hopes for a great outcome, but after several months I've realized that I overpaid for a procedure that produced a mediocre outcome. At best, there's been a slight/subtle improvement, but certainly NOT worth the more than 5k it cost me.
I hope my review will help other women make informed decisions regarding lipo and assist them with their body positive journeys.
A little info about me:
I have an athletic build, I ran track in high school & college, and I’m still pretty fit with muscle tone in most areas of my body. I had a small waist in college, so I knew it was still there lol (see attached pics for reference), but was now hiding underneath the fat I've I've accumulated over the years. I’d gained about 25 lbs since my “small waist” days, and my clothes weren’t fitting properly. I've seen so many women post before/after pictures of their lipo procedures... and there were so many beautiful results, I figured it was worth looking into.
I'm aware that the Dr. I ultimately chose (Dr. Vendetti) is not a plastic surgeon but, he's a highly respected Dr. with a medical degree and a very professional, safety oriented practice. That said, I did speak to a plastic surgeon before getting my laser/smartlipo done (the PS quote for traditional lipo was actually less expensive & would've included more conturing of my waist), but unfortunately I choose to do laser lipo, because Dr. Vendetti's office promoted laser lipo as much easier on the body and said recovery time would be significantly less than with traditional lipo.
In reality, the healing process from laser lipo is about the same as traditional... but traditional lipo has the capacity to remove higher volumes of fat. Perhaps a highly experienced plastic surgeon might be able to achieve dramatic results with laser lipo, but that most don’t offer laser lipo, and there’s a reason. The cost, and risk to benefit ratio is not efficient.
It should also be noted that the liquefied fat from laser turns into a coagulated "mass" that can take several months to dissolve or fully dissipate. I had a few RF treatments at Dr. Vendetti’s office following the procedure that were help with that ( 3 were included with my package price and the 4th I paid an additional $200 for).
Anyhow, it’s been about 6 months since my surgery and my results are still really underwhelming. There wasn't much improvement in terms of my stomach size in relation to the rest of my body (hope that makes sense), and actually I find the shape of my abdomen more irregular/less flattering than it was prior to the procedure.
A month ago, I met with a plastic surgeon who specializes in lipo & body conturing and was told that a significantly better result could have been achieved based on my body type. He also said that I should have been instructed to faithfully wear my compression garment consistently for several weeks (my post op instruction stated I should wear it for a week or so, then as needed); this has a big impact on final outcome as well. I think the importance of this was not stressed enough by the office that did my procedure Ultimately I really feel I wasted $5,000 for a procedure with a mediocre outcome. It’s distressing and I decided that I should work on doing things the old fashioned way.
For the past couple months I've been eating a healthier diet & consistent exercise regimen and lost 10 lbs. So that’s has helped me flatten my tummy a bit, but I'd imagine that if it wasn't for my weight-loss, my stomach would look about the same as it did before my lipo procedure. I did 3 follow up appointments with Dr. Vendetti over 1 month intervals, but I'm currently out of the country, so I didn't return for the final post op appointment (where they take your "results" pictures). Even if I was not abroad, I probably would've opted not to do the post-op results pictures, because most of the changes I've seen in my abdomen are related to weightloss from diet and exercise.
Although this has been a hard/expensive lesson, I’d still consider another lipo procedure in the future, but only with a PS who specializes in body contouring. My advice to anyone considering lipo is to consult with board certified, respected plastic surgeons that have a solid track record + history of positive reviews (RELATED to the procedure you want to have). Consult with and receive pricing from at least 3 doctors and go with the Dr. you feel will help you achieve your best outcome possible.
Good luck to all of you, and happy liposuction hunting!