diff --git a/modules/imgproc/src/contours.cpp b/modules/imgproc/src/contours.cpp
index 427cd050b1..4c78621408 100644
--- a/modules/imgproc/src/contours.cpp
+++ b/modules/imgproc/src/contours.cpp
@@ -199,10 +199,10 @@ _CvContourScanner;
    Initializes scanner structure.
    Prepare image for scanning ( clear borders and convert all pixels to 0-1.
 */
-CV_IMPL CvContourScanner
-cvStartFindContours( void* _img, CvMemStorage* storage,
+static CvContourScanner
+cvStartFindContours_Impl( void* _img, CvMemStorage* storage,
                      int  header_size, int mode,
-                     int  method, CvPoint offset )
+                     int  method, CvPoint offset, int needFillBorder )
 {
     if( !storage )
         CV_Error( CV_StsNullPtr, "" );
@@ -310,15 +310,18 @@ cvStartFindContours( void* _img, CvMemStorage* storage,
     CV_Assert(size.height >= 1);
 
     /* make zero borders */
-    int esz = CV_ELEM_SIZE(mat->type);
-    memset( img, 0, size.width*esz );
-    memset( img + static_cast<size_t>(step) * (size.height - 1), 0, size.width*esz );
-
-    img += step;
-    for( int y = 1; y < size.height - 1; y++, img += step )
+    if(needFillBorder)
     {
-        for( int k = 0; k < esz; k++ )
-            img[k] = img[(size.width - 1)*esz + k] = (schar)0;
+        int esz = CV_ELEM_SIZE(mat->type);
+        memset( img, 0, size.width*esz );
+        memset( img + static_cast<size_t>(step) * (size.height - 1), 0, size.width*esz );
+
+        img += step;
+        for( int y = 1; y < size.height - 1; y++, img += step )
+        {
+            for( int k = 0; k < esz; k++ )
+                img[k] = img[(size.width - 1)*esz + k] = (schar)0;
+        }
     }
 
     /* converts all pixels to 0 or 1 */
@@ -328,6 +331,14 @@ cvStartFindContours( void* _img, CvMemStorage* storage,
     return scanner;
 }
 
+CV_IMPL CvContourScanner
+cvStartFindContours( void* _img, CvMemStorage* storage,
+                     int  header_size, int mode,
+                     int  method, CvPoint offset )
+{
+    return cvStartFindContours_Impl(_img, storage, header_size, mode, method, offset, 1);
+}
+
 /*
    Final stage of contour processing.
    Three variants possible:
@@ -1796,7 +1807,55 @@ icvFindContoursInInterval( const CvArr* src,
     return count;
 }
 
+static int
+cvFindContours_Impl( void*  img,  CvMemStorage*  storage,
+                CvSeq**  firstContour, int  cntHeaderSize,
+                int  mode,
+                int  method, CvPoint offset, int needFillBorder )
+{
+    CvContourScanner scanner = 0;
+    CvSeq *contour = 0;
+    int count = -1;
 
+    if( !firstContour )
+        CV_Error( CV_StsNullPtr, "NULL double CvSeq pointer" );
+
+    *firstContour = 0;
+
+    if( method == CV_LINK_RUNS )
+    {
+        if( offset.x != 0 || offset.y != 0 )
+            CV_Error( CV_StsOutOfRange,
+            "Nonzero offset is not supported in CV_LINK_RUNS yet" );
+
+        count = icvFindContoursInInterval( img, storage, firstContour, cntHeaderSize );
+    }
+    else
+    {
+        try
+        {
+            scanner = cvStartFindContours_Impl( img, storage, cntHeaderSize, mode, method, offset,
+                                            needFillBorder);
+
+            do
+            {
+                count++;
+                contour = cvFindNextContour( scanner );
+            }
+            while( contour != 0 );
+        }
+        catch(...)
+        {
+            if( scanner )
+                cvEndFindContours(&scanner);
+            throw;
+        }
+
+        *firstContour = cvEndFindContours( &scanner );
+    }
+
+    return count;
+}
 
 /*F///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 //    Name: cvFindContours
@@ -1824,47 +1883,7 @@ cvFindContours( void*  img,  CvMemStorage*  storage,
                 int  mode,
                 int  method, CvPoint offset )
 {
-    CvContourScanner scanner = 0;
-    CvSeq *contour = 0;
-    int count = -1;
-
-    if( !firstContour )
-        CV_Error( CV_StsNullPtr, "NULL double CvSeq pointer" );
-
-    *firstContour = 0;
-
-    if( method == CV_LINK_RUNS )
-    {
-        if( offset.x != 0 || offset.y != 0 )
-            CV_Error( CV_StsOutOfRange,
-            "Nonzero offset is not supported in CV_LINK_RUNS yet" );
-
-        count = icvFindContoursInInterval( img, storage, firstContour, cntHeaderSize );
-    }
-    else
-    {
-        try
-        {
-            scanner = cvStartFindContours( img, storage, cntHeaderSize, mode, method, offset );
-
-            do
-            {
-                count++;
-                contour = cvFindNextContour( scanner );
-            }
-            while( contour != 0 );
-        }
-        catch(...)
-        {
-            if( scanner )
-                cvEndFindContours(&scanner);
-            throw;
-        }
-
-        *firstContour = cvEndFindContours( &scanner );
-    }
-
-    return count;
+    return cvFindContours_Impl(img, storage, firstContour, cntHeaderSize, mode, method, offset, 1);
 }
 
 void cv::findContours( InputOutputArray _image, OutputArrayOfArrays _contours,
@@ -1885,7 +1904,7 @@ void cv::findContours( InputOutputArray _image, OutputArrayOfArrays _contours,
     CvSeq* _ccontours = 0;
     if( _hierarchy.needed() )
         _hierarchy.clear();
-    cvFindContours(&_cimage, storage, &_ccontours, sizeof(CvContour), mode, method, offset + Point(-1, -1));
+    cvFindContours_Impl(&_cimage, storage, &_ccontours, sizeof(CvContour), mode, method, offset + Point(-1, -1), 0);
     if( !_ccontours )
     {
         _contours.clear();