Almost all liposuction is "tumescent" which means that close to a similar volume of saline (salt water solution with some adrenaline and xylocaine) is pumped into the tissues or areas to be liposuctioned as are removed, which in the abdomen can be several liters of fluid. This is done mostly for safety reasons in order to minimize blood loss and improve the purity of the fat removed. There are a lot of fluid shifts in the body in the first several days in the body after liposuction and it is normal to be swollen and puffy 5 days after surgery. And it is perfectly normal to see swelling really peak several days after the surgery.
Some doctors (like myself) prefer to leave the small puncture liposuction incisions open after surgery so that the excess fluid can drain and typically the swelling resolves a bit quicker. Otherwise, the body had to reabsorb it on its own which can take several weeks. Either way, it was done technically, it is very normal to be swollen at 5 days after liposuction. If there is a "jiggly" area, it could be a fluid collection called a seroma. Also, most plastic surgeons advocate wearing a compression garment and/or an abdominal binder afterwards. Finally, a low salt diet is important in helping expedite a more rapid resolution of swelling after liposuction.
I tell my patients that it is important to be patient after liposuction and that most patients will see significant changes in their appearance as early as 3 weeks. Final results can take up to 6 months to appreciate.
I would go back to your plastic surgeon this week and make sure that you don't have a seroma (fluid collection)
Hope this helps.
