diff --git a/skimage/exposure/_unwrap_2d.pyx b/skimage/exposure/_unwrap_2d.pyx
index bbbe301c..1d67d932 100644
--- a/skimage/exposure/_unwrap_2d.pyx
+++ b/skimage/exposure/_unwrap_2d.pyx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ cdef extern void unwrap2D(float* wrapped_image,
                      int image_width, int image_height,
                      int wrap_around_x, int wrap_around_y)
 
-def _unwrap2D(float[:,::1] array,
+def unwrap_2d(float[:,::1] array,
               unsigned char[:,::1] mask,
               float[:,::1] unwrapped_array,
               wrap_around):
diff --git a/skimage/exposure/_unwrap_3d.pyx b/skimage/exposure/_unwrap_3d.pyx
index b214c96e..9a900cf2 100644
--- a/skimage/exposure/_unwrap_3d.pyx
+++ b/skimage/exposure/_unwrap_3d.pyx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ cdef extern void unwrap3D(float* wrapped_volume,
                      int image_width, int image_height, int volume_depth,
                      int wrap_around_x, int wrap_around_y, int wrap_around_z)
 
-def _unwrap3D(float[:,:,::1] array,
+def unwrap_3d(float[:,:,::1] array,
               unsigned char[:,:,::1] mask,
               float[:,:,::1] unwrapped_array,
               wrap_around):
diff --git a/skimage/exposure/unwrap.py b/skimage/exposure/unwrap.py
index 9fd9621c..f21ec455 100644
--- a/skimage/exposure/unwrap.py
+++ b/skimage/exposure/unwrap.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import numpy as np
 
-from . import _unwrap_2d
-from . import _unwrap_3d
+from ._unwrap_2d import unwrap_2d
+from ._unwrap_3d import unwrap_3d
 
 
 def unwrap(image, wrap_around=False):
@@ -61,10 +61,10 @@ def unwrap(image, wrap_around=False):
     image_unwrapped = np.empty(image.shape, dtype=np.float32)
 
     if image.ndim == 2:
-        _unwrap_2d._unwrap2D(image_not_masked, mask, image_unwrapped,
+        unwrap_2d(image_not_masked, mask, image_unwrapped,
                              wrap_around)
     elif image.ndim == 3:
-        _unwrap_3d._unwrap3D(image_not_masked, mask, image_unwrapped,
+        unwrap_3d(image_not_masked, mask, image_unwrapped,
                              wrap_around)
 
     if np.ma.isMaskedArray(image):