diff --git a/Polygon_mesh_processing/examples/Polygon_mesh_processing/CMakeLists.txt b/Polygon_mesh_processing/examples/Polygon_mesh_processing/CMakeLists.txt
index fb6cf9b1939..00c4ab2f722 100644
--- a/Polygon_mesh_processing/examples/Polygon_mesh_processing/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Polygon_mesh_processing/examples/Polygon_mesh_processing/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ create_single_source_cgal_program( "polygon_soup_example.cpp")
 create_single_source_cgal_program( "triangulate_polyline_example.cpp")
 create_single_source_cgal_program( "refine_fair_example.cpp")
 create_single_source_cgal_program( "mesh_slicer_example.cpp")
-
+create_single_source_cgal_program( "remove_degeneracies_example.cpp")
 
 
 else(EIGEN3_FOUND)
diff --git a/Polygon_mesh_processing/examples/Polygon_mesh_processing/remove_degeneracies_example.cpp b/Polygon_mesh_processing/examples/Polygon_mesh_processing/remove_degeneracies_example.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b063a83ecee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Polygon_mesh_processing/examples/Polygon_mesh_processing/remove_degeneracies_example.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#include <CGAL/Exact_predicates_inexact_constructions_kernel.h>
+#include <CGAL/Surface_mesh.h>
+
+#include <CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/repair.h>
+
+#include <iostream>
+#include <fstream>
+
+typedef CGAL::Exact_predicates_inexact_constructions_kernel K;
+typedef K::Point_3 Point;
+typedef K::Vector_3 Vector;
+
+typedef CGAL::Surface_mesh<Point> Surface_mesh;
+typedef boost::graph_traits<Surface_mesh>::vertex_descriptor vertex_descriptor;
+typedef boost::graph_traits<Surface_mesh>::face_descriptor face_descriptor;
+
+int main(int argc, char* argv[])
+{
+  const char* filename = (argc > 1) ? argv[1] : "data/eight.off";
+  std::ifstream input(filename);
+
+  Surface_mesh mesh;
+  if (!input || !(input >> mesh) || mesh.is_empty()) {
+    std::cerr << "Not a valid off file." << std::endl;
+    return 1;
+  }
+
+  std::size_t nb
+    = CGAL::Polygon_mesh_processing::remove_degenerate_faces(mesh);
+
+  std::cout << "There were " << nb << " degenerate faces in this mesh" << std::endl;
+
+  return 0;
+}
diff --git a/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/repair.h b/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/repair.h
index bee86cf1b68..1bbca056188 100644
--- a/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/repair.h
+++ b/Polygon_mesh_processing/include/CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/repair.h
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@
 #include <boost/algorithm/minmax_element.hpp>
 #include <CGAL/boost/graph/Euler_operations.h>
 
+#include <CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/internal/named_function_params.h>
+#include <CGAL/Polygon_mesh_processing/internal/named_params_helper.h>
+
 namespace CGAL{
 namespace Polygon_mesh_processing {
 
@@ -230,27 +233,48 @@ namespace internal {
 } // end of namespace internal
 
 /// \ingroup PkgPolygonMeshProcessing
+/// removes the degenerate faces from a triangle mesh.
+///
+/// @tparam TriangleMesh a model of `FaceListGraph` and `MutableFaceGraph`
+///        that has a property map for `boost::vertex_point_t`
+/// @tparam NamedParameters a sequence of \ref namedparameters
+///
+/// @param np optional \ref namedparameters described below
+///
+/// \b Named \b parameters
+/// <ul>
+/// <li>\b vertex_point_map the property map with the points associated to the vertices of `pmesh`. The type of this mad is model of `ReadWritePropertyMap`.
+/// <li>\b kernel a geometric traits class instance. 
+/// The traits class must provide the nested types :
+///     - `Point_3`,
+///     - `Compare_distance_3` to compute the distance between 2 points
+///     - `Collinear_are_ordered_along_line_3` to check whether 3 collinear points are ordered
+///     - `Collinear_3` to check whether 3 points are collinear
+///     - `Less_xyz_3` to compare lexicographically two points
+///     - `Equal_3` to check whether 2 points are identical
+///     -  for each functor Foo, a function `Foo foo_object()`
+/// </ul>
+
 /// \return number of degenerate faces found
-/// \tparam Traits must provide the nested types:
-///         - `Point_3`,
-///         - `Compare_distance_3` to compute the distance between 2 points
-///         - `Collinear_are_ordered_along_line_3` to check whether 3 collinear points are ordered
-///         - `Collinear_3` to check whether 3 points are collinear
-///         - `Less_xyz_3` to compare lexicographically two points
-///         - `Equal_3` to check whether 2 points are identical
-///         -  for each functor Foo, a function `Foo foo_object()`
-/// \tparam VertexPointMap model of `ReadWritePropertyMap` with
-///         `boost::graph_traits<TriangleMesh>::vertex_descriptor` as key
-///         and `Traits::Point_3` as value type.
-template <class Traits, class TriangleMesh, class VertexPointMap>
-std::size_t remove_degenerate_faces(TriangleMesh& tmesh, const VertexPointMap& vpmap, const Traits& traits)
+///
+template <class TriangleMesh, class NamedParameters>
+std::size_t remove_degenerate_faces(TriangleMesh& tmesh,
+                                    const NamedParameters& np)
 {
+  typedef TriangleMesh TM;
   typedef typename boost::graph_traits<TriangleMesh> GT;
   typedef typename GT::edge_descriptor edge_descriptor;
   typedef typename GT::halfedge_descriptor halfedge_descriptor;
   typedef typename GT::face_descriptor face_descriptor;
   typedef typename GT::vertex_descriptor vertex_descriptor;
 
+  typedef typename GetVertexPointMap<TM, NamedParameters>::type VertexPointMap;
+  VertexPointMap vpmap = choose_const_pmap(get_param(np, boost::vertex_point),
+                                           tmesh,
+                                           boost::vertex_point);
+  typedef typename GetKernel<TM, NamedParameters>::Kernel Traits;
+  Traits traits = choose_param(get_param(np, geom_traits), Traits());
+
   std::size_t nb_deg_faces = 0;
 
 // First remove edges of length 0
@@ -641,10 +665,11 @@ std::size_t remove_degenerate_faces(TriangleMesh& tmesh, const VertexPointMap& v
 }
 
 /// \cond SKIP_IN_MANUAL
-template <class Traits, class TriangleMesh>
-std::size_t remove_degenerate_faces(TriangleMesh& tmesh, const Traits& traits = Traits())
+template<class TriangleMesh>
+std::size_t remove_degenerate_faces(TriangleMesh& tmesh)
 {
-  return remove_degenerate_faces<Traits>(tmesh, get(vertex_point, tmesh), traits);
+  return remove_degenerate_faces(tmesh,
+    CGAL::Polygon_mesh_processing::parameters::all_default());
 }
 /// \endcond