Dr Melinda Dalman

04/11/2025

While I am sad for myself that I’ll no longer work alongside my sister every day (but still some days), I’m THRILLED for her AND for Ballarat and district that this outstanding facility is now on offer in Lake Gardens. You can have your physio in gorgeous rooms attached to a custom designed gym! So they can demonstrate exercises straight away on proper equipment. The parking is great, the team are the best in the business and I’ve spent days with a roller in my hand so please appreciate the fresh paint 🤓😉.

Why BHM?
I have a great job. Why did I want more? Great question.
Glad you asked.
As a physio, at all stages of my career, I have had many different chapters motivating me to keep striving. For the past couple of years l've been interested in "future proofing" my patients. I want to look all my patients in the eye in 20 years and know that part of the reason they are still thriving at that stage in their life is because I maybe played a small part. A few years ago I had what felt like niggly tendon pain everywhere, and wondered if I'd be a physio for another 5 minutes let alone 5 years! I started experimenting on MYSELF in the gym, ditched the things that had helped my body as a 25 year old and learned the things that serve my body NOW. It worked, and really solved my niggling tendon problems. I started bringing the things l'd learned into my physio practice and found it also delivered for others. Turns out the research doesn't get it wrong! The limiting thing for my work was lack of access to gym equipment. Bring in BHM!
It's been a love project. It's fixed all the things that have been annoying me about the rooms l've worked in before, and provided the gym space my patients and I need to work together to deliver optimal outcomes. I can't wait to show you all.

24/10/2025

“SUNSCREEN-GATE 2025”
Sunscreens have been in the news for all the wrong reasons lately. I’ve never had so many confused and disheartened patients ask me what they should do about sunscreen.
The furore is based on concerns stemming from Australian sunscreens performing under their advertised SPF in independent testing. HOWEVER, only a particular group performed really badly - the mineral based ones - and most of the others did well enough that they would still be of great benefit, even if they didn’t quite make their advertised SPF. The WORST thing that could come of this is if people lose faith in their sunscreens and stop wearing them entirely. If you have a sunscreen you especially like, even if it didn’t test perfectly, I would suggest you still use it. You’re more likely to wear a sunscreen you like, and one you’re wearing is FAR better than one left on the shelf!
My suggestion is look up the list of ones that underperformed, and as long as yours didn’t test under 25 you can still get great benefit from it.
The take home message is “continue to slop”!

03/09/2025

Day 14 after commencing “Efucal” treatment for my solar keratoses, and seven days after the last application of cream (note this is NOT a cosmetic treatment. It’s firmly medical, to prevent progression to skin cancer).
I’m well and truly sick of being blotchy and especially of being flaky. I’m still shocked by how extreme the solar keratoses are on my upper lip. I think my sunscreen application may have lacked vigilance in this site, so my hot tip is pay attention to it!! Lanolin has been my sanity saviour because it instantly soothes the discomfort and softens the scale, but it’s embarrassingly shiny. My take home advice is that you need to prepare for at least two weeks of annoyance from this treatment. I know from years of experience it is worth it, but it’s been humbling to go through it and have my patients’ concerns validated. It’s very bloody annoying!! I’ll keep you posted on the recovery.

25/08/2025

Day six of “Efucal” (our nickname for the chemo/Vit D cream concoction) for solar keratoses. People often ask “can I cover them?”. The answer is yes, but it’s tricky and for a non makeup wearer would be pretty much impossible. This is my effort today.
So far undergoing treatment has been a minor irritation. The cream stings for half an hour after each application. I have been more annoyed by not being able to do my normal skincare (it would dilute/displace the Efucal) which means my skin feels dry as the desert. It is a bit embarrassing to be so blotchy at work, too. Luckily you lot are a pragmatic, kind-hearted bunch 😂🫶🏻.

23/08/2025

Strap in for a serious of awkwardly unpleasant pics of my face. It’s finally that time - time to fight the good fight against my solar keratoses. Despite decades of excellent sun management my very fair skin knows I’m 50, and it’s throwing me a consequently reasonable share of skin cancer threats. I’m on day three of chemotherapy/vitamin D cream treatment when things start to get spicy. I’m putting it on my whole face, but “splodging” it on generously to my loud and proud solar keratoses on my forehead, mid cheeks and the extremely pesky upper lip area. Await the mayhem to come…

17/08/2025

A cool thing happened today. Anna and I snuck into my old medical school at Royal Melbourne Hospital to find my name on an honour board for getting the highest aggregate marks in the fourth year exams. There is another familiar Ballarat name on there - check out 2003 - our own Dr Alana Tuxen, dermatologist extraordinaire.

12/08/2025

I had a great day in Geelong today learning from renowned cosmetic physician Dr Jimmy Wang, updating my knowledge about all sorts of emerging cosmetic treatments and trying out Byryzn Opuluxe, a skin booster new to the Australian market. Here I am, nice and shiny after having my first treatment. I definitely like the product more than I like the name!! Words should have vowels, except for “rhythm”. I like that word 🤓.
More on Byryzn to come….

29/07/2025

I’m excited to be stocking ESK, Evidence Skincare. This is an Australian owned and manufactured brand, formulated with ingredients which have been scientifically demonstrated to benefit all sorts of skin issues. It’s great for sensitive skin, pigmentation, acne and rosacea.

27/07/2025

LOOK AT THIS!!!! Heather, my sister who many of you know from Raglan Street Clinic, has talked about the perfect set up for a physio practice for years. To my absolute delight she is turning her vision into action and building the dream set up, with spacious, comfortable consulting rooms alongside a gym and running track (with awesome parking!). Now her and her colleagues can go straight from in room treatment to the gym for assessment and exercise plans. It’s going to be ace for everyone, from elite athletes to keeping elderly patients on their legs and in their homes. Please everyone like and follow her page so she knows it’s not just me who thinks this will be awesome for Ballarat.

I CAN FINALLY TELL YOU! I’m thrilled to announce my dream practice, Ballarat Health in Motion (affectionately “BHM”) is on its way! More details to come but I can tell you this will be an innovative health provider for our city with a crack team, next level facilities and the convenience of a central location, great parking AND a warm welcome to all. My physiotherapy colleagues and I look forward to “moving health forward” with you.