Dr. Michelle Hardaway is a board-certified plastic surgeon with over 20 years of experience treating patients in Farmington Hills and throughout Metro Detroit. She is also board-certified in general surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (F.A.C.S.) — a credential that requires ongoing peer review, not a one-time exam. Patients come to her practice for breast surgery, body contouring, and facial rejuvenation, and for a straightforward answer to the question every new patient asks first: who is actually doing this procedure, and what has she done before mine? This page answers that directly.
"Board-certified plastic surgeon" is a specific, verifiable credential — not a marketing phrase every provider in aesthetics is entitled to use. It means a surgeon has completed an accredited plastic surgery residency and passed both written and oral examinations administered by a recognized board. Dr. Hardaway holds board certification in both plastic surgery and general surgery, which reflects training in the full scope of surgical judgment, not cosmetic technique alone. She is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (F.A.C.S.), a peer-reviewed designation held by a smaller subset of board-certified surgeons.
If you're comparing providers, the practical question to ask any surgeon is which board issued their certification, and whether that board is recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. Dr. Hardaway is glad to answer that question directly in your consultation — a qualified surgeon should never be defensive about this.
Credentials on their own don't tell you much without the training behind them:
That last line matters more than it might look at first glance. Burn and reconstructive training builds a surgeon's understanding of how tissue actually heals under stress — not just how a result looks the day after surgery, but how it settles over months. That background shapes a conservative, safety-first approach to cosmetic procedures: matching the plan to the patient's anatomy rather than to a trend.
Hospital privileges require ongoing credentialing and peer review — they're a check on a surgeon's standing that exists outside the surgeon's own marketing. Dr. Hardaway previously served as:
She currently holds affiliations with Beaumont (Corewell Health Royal Oak), Providence Hospitals, and Detroit Medical Center facilities including Harper Hospital, Grace Hospital, Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit Receiving Hospital, and Hutzel Hospital.
Dr. Hardaway is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Surgery at Wayne State University, where she previously held an Assistant Professor appointment. Practicing surgeons who also teach are typically required to stay current on technique, safety literature, and evolving standards of care in a way that private practice alone doesn't demand — it's a two-way accountability structure, not just a title.
Dr. Hardaway maintains membership in:
Dr. Hardaway's patients are often not looking to look different — they're looking to look like themselves again, or like they feel on the inside. Her approach centers on personalized, natural-looking results tailored specifically to each patient's anatomy and goals, not a single "signature look" applied to every patient regardless of fit. Every consultation includes a full review of medical history, an honest conversation about realistic outcomes, and a customized treatment plan — because the same procedure performed on two different patients should never look like the same procedure.
Procedures take place onsite in a QUAD A–accredited surgical suite, with a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist present for every case. QUAD A accreditation (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities) means the facility has been independently reviewed against national standards for sterilization protocol, emergency preparedness, and staff credentialing — it's a facility-level safety check that exists separately from the surgeon's own certifications.
Reading about credentials only gets a prospective patient so far. Before your consultation, take a look through the before-and-after gallery and patient reviews, and meet the rest of our team who will be with you through consultation, surgery day, and recovery.
All consultations are paid and appointment-based to ensure you receive dedicated time and a personalized plan. To schedule, call (248) 221-1957 or visit our contact page for directions and office information. We do not accept insurance, and we offer financing options for qualified patients through CareCredit.