MONDAY, Feb. 28 (HealthDay News) -- All those stories you hear about an epidemic of young women receiving plastic surgery are just that -- stories, new research contends.

Only 5 percent of college-aged women have actually had cosmetic surgery, according to a study in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

However, many of the students surveyed did have a favorable attitude toward cosmetic surgery.

The study surveyed 559 college-aged women at six universities. Among the 5 percent who had cosmetic surgery, a chemical peel was the most common procedure, followed by breast augmentation, nose reshaping and breast reduction.

More than 60 percent of the women said they could envision having at least one cosmetic surgery procedure in their lifetime, and more than two-thirds reported knowing someone who had such surgery.

Despite concern about young people's motivations for having cosmetic surgery, the study found that only 2.5 percent of the women screened positive for body dysmorphic disorder, or a preoccupation with a slight or imagined defect in appearance.

More information

The National Institutes of Health has more about cosmetic surgery.