A distributed topology control algorithm for ad hoc networks with directional antennas is proposed in this paper. The topology is controlled not only by adjusting the transmission powers of nodes but also by changing the antenna’s pattern (direction). A node grows its transmission power until it finds some neighbor nodes in every sector of its directional antenna. Two planarized optimizations that further reduce some redundant edges are employed and make the topology as a planar graph eventually. The resulting network topology increases network lifetime by reducing transmission power and decreases traffic interference by having low node degrees. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.